Thank you all for everything you do in pursuit of “Keeping Learning at the Center.”
Activities of Note: Faculty and Staff
This section recognizes the good work being done at NMC. Linkages to the Strategic Agenda, Strategic Directions and Goals will be made where possible. (more…)
The window to make an election for your MPSERS retirement plan is winding down – if you are a member of MPSERS, only 3 weeks are left for you to make a decision on your future. Even if you don’t realize it, you are probably one of the 630+ NMC employees in MPSERS who have an opportunity to make a choice on your pension.
There will be only 2 sessions next week:
Monday, 10/8/12 8:30 – 10:00 am LB35-37
Tuesday, 10/9/12 8:30 – 10:00 am UC205
If you haven’t attended a session yet and want help understanding the choices that affect you, come to one of these meetings to learn….
How to go online to miAccount and what tools are available there regarding the changes to the law governing your pension plan
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by – it may be your only chance to have a say in how your future retirement will be calculated and how much money you will contribute from your paycheck.
Kudos to Mary Beeker and Tina Ulrich for working with the League for Women Voters and representatives from Faculty Council and Student Life to provide a voter registration table at the Osterlin Library for students. Many students have taken advantage of this service already, and the League has stepped forward to be able to staff the table every day through October 9, the deadline for voter registration.
For information on positions currently open at NMC, please visit NMC’s web page at https://
jobs.nmc.edu/ Information on internal postings has been emailed.
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary. Please join us in congratulating them!
| Bill Hardy | Custodian | 5 years |
| Phil Trowbridge | Custodian | 4 years |
I want to thank all of you who were able to attend Wednesday’s forum regarding compensation review. The link below will take you to the intranet site that has been created as a means to keep the campus community informed as the process continues. The recorded forum is available at that site, as well as the PowerPoint presentation.
https://intranet.nmc.edu/
Just a reminder that I would like the employee group recommendations for membership (3 from each group) by 5:00 p.m. on October 10.
NMC President Tim Nelson (left) and Vice President of Finance and Administration Vicki Cook (right) present Kay Hall with the Employee of the Semester award.
Kay Hall, Office Manager of Auxiliary Services, was named the Employee of the Semester for Summer 2012 at the September meeting of the NMC Board of Trustees.
Vicki Cook, Vice President of Finance and Administration introduced Kay and said that she serves as an example of someone who applies the “see it, do it, solve it” concept. She also credited Kay with renewing the college’s presence in the Cherry Festival’s Cherry Royale Parade three years ago.
Under her organization, NMC’s parade entry has grown every year since, and one of the most popular features are the brats that the Hagerty Center staff cooks along the route, with more than 2,000 brats handed out during this past summer’s parade.
On October 11, in the Olson Center from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Gordon Henry will perform with musicians Mike Gilmore and Mike Johnston. The performance will include traditional Anishinaabe stories and songs, as well as poetry and prose from Henry’s work. For some parts of the performance Henry will sing with a hand drum; for other parts of the performance Henry will recite his work while accompanied by Johnston and Gilmore.
Henry’s novel, The Light People, won an American Book Award in 1995, and his poetry, prose and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies throughout the U.S. and Europe. His work is informed by long time participation in ceremonies and by his personal reflections on Anishinaabe life, place and relations. His most recent book, The Failure of Certain Charms and Other Disparate Signs of Life, published in 2007, is a collection of poetry and prose, combining the languages and imagery of dreams, songs, ceremonies, cultural memories, autobiography and Native American tales.
Gordon Henry is an enrolled member of the White Earth Chippewa Tribe of Minnesota. He received an MA in Creative Writing from Michigan State University and a PhD in English from the University of North Dakota. He is Professor of English at Michigan State University. Formerly director of creative writing for MSU’s English Department, he is currently director of MSU’s Native American Institute. He is also senior editor for the Native American Studies Series.
Registration for Spring semester starts Wednesday, October 3. Do you know what time you can register? Check your NMC e-mail for that information.
Get vaccinated against influenza.
Flu vaccine clinics on Thursday, Oct. 4 from noon – 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. – noon, or just walk-in.
Cost $15
Stop by to learn about FSU’s Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and the Bachelor of Science degree in Information Security and Intelligence. Get a free t-shirt and at 6:00p, sit in class with current ISI students.
Wednesday, Oct 17
4:00-7:00 p.m.
NMC University Center, 2200 Dendrinos Drive, Room 204
Criminal Justice, B.S.
The Criminal Justice program provides combined training and education to prepare men and women for a professional career in the criminal justice system in Michigan and throughout the country. Class work is designed to enhance experiential learning and give students a balance of practical and theoretical learning they can apply in work situations.
Information Security and Intelligence, B.S.
Employees skilled in analyzing and converting data into knowledge using the latest visual analysis, geographic information systems, data mining, and digital forensices tools are needed to meet this growing challenge. The FSU ISI program addresses this need with courses in all these areas, as well as courses in fraud investigation, information security and intelligence.
For more information contact the Ferris State University office at FerrisNorth@ferris.edu or call 231-995-1734 or toll free at 1-866-857-1954.
It’s no secret that we are in the midst of two important and related studies…position classification and employee compensation. They are important to each of you as individuals and they are important to the future of this college. As with any project of this type, there is a level of uncertainty, angst and nervousness.
As a result, I’ve been asked these five questions:
In this message, I will focus on the compensation study and will address each of these questions. (more…)
Have you heard? The annual Great Lakes Bioneers Conference is quickly approaching! The Great Lakes Bioneers Conference is a local event where engaged citizens from all walks of life come together to focus on solving our most urgent problems within a framework of interdependence: It is all connected. Bioneers take a “solve-the-whole-problem” approach that is holistic, systemic, and multidisciplinary. This year’s conference will be held on your campus, Northwestern Michigan College, on October 19th – 21st.
So where do you, one of NMC’s students, fit in? We’re offering you a major discount on registration! This is a special coupon code just for NMC students. To register, visit glbconference.org, click register here, and select attendee type: Student w/ valid student ID and enter the promo code: ST82YGB to get in for only $15 for the whole weekend, that’s a $145 discount!
If you have any questions or would like to get involved with Bioneers further, please do not hesitate to contact me: sarahg@ecoseeds.org. If you would like to volunteer, please visit our website or email our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@ecoseeds.org.
Thanks so much!
The newly formed NMC Cycling Club is looking for a faculty or staff member to serve as their advisor.
please contact Garett Eisele at eiseleg@mail.nmc.edu for more information
TRAVERSE CITY — Two NMC staff members are among five individuals earning Lean Office Champion certification from NMC’s Training Services division who will now take the continuous improvement lessons learned into several of the region’s largest employers. The five certified in September are:
During the six-month program, participants are trained to apply lean manufacturing principles to their office and healthcare workplaces. Two sessions are hosted by each organization, the classroom training involves intensive hands-on activities, and each champion completes several continuous improvement projects in their workplace.
Rewards were evident before the program even ended.
“By applying lean principles to the process, we were able to shorten the lead time for Practice Pro, our newsletter for local physician practices, from eight weeks to less than four,” said Deb Kimball, physician liaison at Munson Medical Center.
Lean principles are based on the Toyota production system. Manufacturing was the first American industry that adopted its principles. In the last ten years, lean has migrated from the shop floor into manufacturing offices, healthcare settings, and most recently service industries.
MC Training Services has been certifying lean champions since 2007. The objective of the program is to enable companies to build internal capacity to support their continuous improvement journey.
The next Champion certification opportunities will start in December 2012 for manufacturing and February 2013 for service industries, including healthcare. For more information or to register, please contact Vicki Rumbach, 231-995-2218. Additional information on Champion and NMC’s other, customized training services is available online.
What is MPSERS? Am I a member of MPSERS? If I only work part-time, I’m not in the state retirement system, am I? You probably are if you are an adjunct, a supplemental employee, or a regular staff or faculty member working for NMC.
If you are an active member of MPSERS, you should have recently received notification from the Office of Retirement Services (ORS) either through your home mail, email, or both to let you know that you need to make an election on how you want your pension and/or retiree healthcare benefits handled going forward. The online election period is 9/4/12 – 10/26/12.
Online through miAccount is the only way you will be able to make your election.
For more information or to access your miAccount, go to www.michigan.gov/orsschools, and click on the miAccount section. Don’t wait – go online now and find out about the resources available to you to make your decision!
On-campus informational sessions are scheduled the week of October 1 – 5:
*Mon, 10/1/12 6:00-7:30 pm PS 201-203*
Tues, 10/2/12 9:30-11:00 am LB 35-37
Wed, 10/3/12 3:30-5:00 pm LB 35-37
Thurs, 10/4/12 11:30 am -1:00 pm O 113
Fri, 10/5/12 1:30-3:00 pm UC 206
*Note that there is one after-hours session scheduled.
Erase borders, develop peace and understanding and extend your family tree. Engage your family with the international community by hosting an international student or by encouraging your student to study abroad!
Join Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City Area Public Schools and local international exchange programs to explore the world of international exchange. This informational evening will include:
• Testimonials from current and former high school and college-age U.S. study abroad students
• Keynote speaker
• First-hand experiences of host families and international exchange students
• Panel discussion with students and host parents followed by a Q & A session
• Opportunities to meet families, students, and exchange organization representatives.
Thursday, October 11, 2012 Milliken Auditorium at Northwestern Michigan College’s Dennos Museum from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
For more information contact Jim Bensley, Director of Outreach Services at (231) 995-2527 or jbensley@nmc.edu.
50 Years Ago:
25 Years Ago:
From the NMC Archives at the Osterlin Library
The NMC Adopt-A-Student fund began in 1992 with faculty and staff representatives Hettie Molvang and Adam Gahn. The fund was established as part of the Annual Campaign as an opportunity for faculty and staff to help struggling students overcome some of the financial obstacles that often stand in the way of higher education.
Thanks to our generous faculty, staff and community, 687 students have received assistance in the amount of a half million dollars over the last 20 years through the Adopt-A-Student Fund. The following quote is from one of our Adopt-A-Student scholarship receipents.
Your gift allows me to keep more my paycheck at a time when one textbook costs $231 and a math calculator $130. By retaining more of my earnings I am able to weather increased fuel costs to commute to campus, pick up the occasional prescription that my mother can’t afford or just supplement our household food budget. Like a lot of students and staff that I’ve met since returning to NMC, everyone has a story, everyone has a challenge to carry through life and mine is not different. What is different is the occasional kindness we receive along the way. Thank you for your donation.
The Annual Campaign is drawing near and we at the NMC Foundation and Resource Development are looking forward to helping you make student dreams a reality.
Thank you for your support.
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary. Please join us in congratulating them!
| Fred Cook | Custodian | 10 years |
| Carol Evans | Director of Extended Educational Services | 17 years |
| Carol Taberski | Registrar | 31 years |
| Kirk Waterstripe | Lboratory Manager | 14 years |
Following are positions currently open at NMC. For detailed information on externally posted positions, please visit NMC’s web page at www.nmc.edu/jobs Information on internal postings has been emailed.
OPEN POSTINGS
Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct Instructor – Clinical Nursing (38-443)
Adjunct Faculty-Physics Instructor (98-443)
Adjunct Faculty-Physical Education Basketball (109-443)
Adjunct Faculty-Biology (139-443)
Faculty
HVAC/R Instructor (95-443) (Full time)
Nursing Instructor – Mental Health (91-443) (Part time)
Professional Staff
Master, T-S State of Michigan (99-443)
Student Employee
White Pine Press-Student Employee (66-443)
Tutor-Student Employee (82-443)
Student Lab Assistant – Biology (129-443)
Department of Learning Services Office Assistant (132-443)
WNMC Radio Automation Assistant (141-443)
Supplemental Staff
Banquet Server-Hagerty Center (41-443)
Student Financial Services-Front Desk Assistant (135-443)
Michelle Autry of Educational Media Technologies is always helpful, pleasant and willing to go the extra mile! She is awesome at internal customer service. Thank you for your help with Moodle and with the student videos.
We are so fortunate at NMC to have the best of the best. Fred Cook and Tim Fader have done an amazing job painting West Hall and creating a warm environment for our students. Their attitude throughout the entire project has been to make it work. Fred and Tim were always willing to make change if needed. Thanks so much guys, great job!